


Wingdings Syndrome

by IminUndertaleHell



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Dadster, Follows a few of the headcannons and characters from the tumblr Ask-Humantale, Freeform? Maybe?, Go check them out, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Multi, There is so much angst in this story that it is killing me., They're really cool, This is the other project, Trans Mettaton
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-20
Updated: 2016-03-20
Packaged: 2018-05-15 04:24:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 24
Words: 15,566
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5771233
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IminUndertaleHell/pseuds/IminUndertaleHell
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Excess determination in the body can cause side effects such as a deterioration in the muscle, creating the appearance of melting. Others can include the brain going into a function known at our facility as Wingdings Syndrome, where a person has super-human abilities such as being able to distort their voice and be able to alter a person’s memories. Their powers, however, only can affect a person within three feet. Another side effect is that they have the ability to work with a person’s head and make it so that they can impersonate communication with a person who is no longer in another’s life. This syndrome gets its name from the language that it uses to communicate itself that uses that is under the same name.</p><p>The best thing is to NOT GIVE IN. They will be relentless in trying to trick and manipulate the person they are trying to spread to. Don’t listen to what they say, don’t listen to their pleas.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. My Love

**Author's Note:**

> This is the other project that I am working on and am posting this during my English class. I will fix anything I need to later.

“Are you sure about this, Mettaton?”

“Of course, darling! They’ve been _dying_ to meet you!”

“I don’t have the money for a plane ticket out to L.A, dear.”

“Nonsense. It’s on me. I really want to see you again, it feels like it’s been forever!”

“It’s been two months, Metta.”

“But it still feels like forever.”

Papyrus leaned on his hands while his elbows dug into his desk. He really did want to go out to L.A. to see Mettaton again, but it was having to meet his Youtuber of a boyfriend’s friends that scared the living _hell_ out of him. He looked into his webcam, then back down at the screen that was showing Mettaton’s face. He looked concerned, but seemed to be silently pleading for Papyrus to agree.

He sighed and sat up. “I’ll start packing. How long should I stay?”

“Could you maybe stay for a week?”

“I can see. I’ll need to get some of my homework done beforehand, but I think that would work.”

“That’s _wonderful_ , darling! I can’t wait to see you!” He heard a phone ringing in the background of Mettaton’s side of the call and chuckled.

“Looks like you have some business to attend to. We can talk about the dates later.”

“Alright darling! I’ll talk to you soon!”

“I love you, Metta.”

“Love you too, Papy.” The call was then ended and Papyrus pushed his chair back from his desk. Maybe Sans was still on the phone with Ms. Toriel, so he could get his English homework. He sat for a second and tried to think of how he could also make up the lost points he would get in Home Ec. He knew that Ms. Toriel would understand, as he’s got a feeling that something is going on between her and his brother. He ran down the stairs and saw that Sans wasn’t on the phone.

“Oh! Hello Papyrus! Your brother and I were just discussing some things involving…”

“Let’s not get him worked up right now, Toriel,” his brother said and took a drink of coffee. He saw that the bags under his brother’s eyes had gotten darker. He knew that his brother worked constantly just to keep the house that they were living in. This always worried Papyrus, but he knew that when he finished high school, he would be working full-time. He wanted to give his brother a break. He really did deserve it. Sans seemed to almost be falling asleep as he sat in the chair.

He had done that before. That was only when things were getting really bad, and he knew that his brother didn’t sleep.

Papyrus was rather light, so he could easily sneak around the house. He had seen and heard many things that he knew that he wasn’t supposed to. He has heard phone calls about anything ranging from things about their father to phone calls with Toriel. He had heard his brother getting angry at their grandfather, in tears about hearing that their father had been found dead, and laughing like crazy while talking with Toriel. There was one call that he knew that was a mix of all of them.

_“I don’t know how much more I can take of this, Toriel!”_

_“Sans, you need to calm down.” He had her on speaker so that he could pace. Papyrus knew and could hear him doing so from his spot on the stairs._

_“I will_ not _calm down! I know what will happen if I do that!”_

_“Sans…” Her voice was calm as he heard the pacing stop. “You just need to talk about it, Sans.”_

_His voice began to crack, “I don’t want to talk about it! Talking about it will only make things worse!”_

_“Tell me Sans, what’s wrong?”_

_“It…” He fell onto the ground and grabbed his phone. “ It’s my grandfather. He wants to take Papyrus.”_

_“Why is that?”_

_“He thinks that I can’t take care of him. I’ve been doing it for a year now, haven’t I?”_

_“Still, he sees that you’re tired. Not in a sense of needing sleep, but you need some time to yourself. Maybe you should bring him here for a few days. He can stay with Asriel.”_

“Well, I do need a bit of a favor from you, Ms. Toriel.” Papyrus straightened his back.

“What might you need?”

“I will need to get the exact dates, but I will be out of school for about a week. I am going to L.A.”

_I can't do this._


	2. Speak

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When words mean nothing, yet mean everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am posting this, once again, in my English Class.

She looked over to Sans as he took another sip and spoke, not seeming fazed by the fact that his brother wants to go across the country for a week. “So, what _is_ new with Mettaton by the way?”

“Nothing really. His channel is really taking off, so he has been really busy lately. It’s getting harder and harder to talk to him.” He took a deep breath. “So, I am going to go and see him for a week.”

“Don’t get yourself mugged, kid.” Sans walked over and fluffed his hair. He looked at Papyrus before glancing at Toriel.

“So you are going to L.A. to see a friend?” Toriel seemed like she wasn’t completely there. It was almost as if she was out of it.

“Actually Mettaton is-” Sans started to reply, but Papyrus cut him off.

“He is my wonderful boyfriend of a year and a half! He works out in L.A., so we talk over video chat. I went out to see him during the summer, but he’s going to be really busy that time next year, so we’re working out time so that I can go out and see him.”

“That’s wonderful!” She gave him a weak smile and leaned on her arm. Something was wrong and he knew it. Sans knew too, as he had a look of concern in his dark eyes. He walked quickly over to her and helped her stand up.

“Tori, are you-” Sans was speaking quietly.

“Well, I’d best be getting back to the school. I have some work to do.” She straightened her back and tried to walk to the door. When she got to the doorway, she seemed to lose her balance. Sans ran over and helped her get her balance back.

“You’ve been overworking yourself again, Tori.” He began to walk her to the couch.

“Nonsense! I’ve always worked like this. I just end up with little dizzy spells every once and awhile.” All Sans did is sigh and walk her over to the couch. He sat next to her as she relaxed. Her head fell over onto Sans’s and he blushed. Just as Papyrus was about to ask something when he heard a loud ringing coming from upstairs. He turned and bolted up the stairs. Jumping into his chair, he answered the call. When he saw his own face appear in the top of the screen, he began to talk.

“Hi Mettaton! How did that phone call go? Was it your manager again?”

“No,” he spoke softly. His feet were curled up on his chair and he was hugging his knees. He knew that Mettaton had his portable microphone on, as his head was down. He could also hear the sound of his pants rubbing on the microphone. “It wasn’t my manager.”

“Metta, take a deep breath.” He knew that Mettaton had some anxiety, but attacks were something that had only shown up recently. “What’s wrong?”

“Wait.” He looked up. “You speak a second language, right?”

“I’m a bit rusty, but yes.”

“What do you speak?” He sounded desperate.

“Tell me what’s wrong first. Then I can tell you because Sans and I are fluent in the same language and if it is something I can’t translate, I can get him to do it.”

“It’s my friend’s little girl. She-She hit her head after falling off of a playset and now she’s speaking some sort of language that I don’t know. She was unconscious in the hospital for days, and she just woke up. It’s been about a week since she was released.”

“Do you have her with you? Or even an audio clip?”

“I can bring my phone over to her.” The camera shook as he stood up and began to walk. He sat down on a bed and leaned over to the little girl. Her face had a grey shade to it and her eyes looked dull. “Lucia, this is Metta’s-”

"✌☼☜ ✡⚐✞ ◘✌◘✡☼✞ ?" 

She spoke quietly, as if she was scared to speak. Her eyes lit up when she saw him.

“Can you translate it?”

“How is she speaking in Wingdings?” He sighed. “I can translate it, but Sans would probably be faster.” He grabbed his laptop and began to walk down the stairs. Just as he got down the stairs, Sans walked in the front door.

“What’s up, Bro?”

“Sans, Mettaton needs your help.” He set the laptop on the table and unplugged his headphones. “You’re out loud, Mettaton.”

“Sans? Are you there?”

“Hi Mettaton. What’s wrong?”

“My friend’s little daughter. She’s speaking…. What is it again?”

“She’s speaking Wingdings, Sans. You can translate faster than I can, so could you? Please?”

“Yeah.” He sat down as Mettaton gave his phone to the little girl and she began to speak. He focused the speech as the girl spoke. 


	3. Understandings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When you're older, you'll understand why he is doing this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are my philosophical chapter summaries getting annoying yet?
> 
> This is a short one, as I was kind of stuck on this scene, but didn't really want to get rid of it.

When she finished, Sans recited what she had said.

 

“She saw a man with an almost melted face. Not in a gory way, rather it looked as if he was made of melting wax. He explained that she would speak…” He stopped as his voice cracked. “He said that she would speak like that to get back in touch with his sons.” He began crying as he looked over at Papyrus. 

“What does that mean, Sans?”

He cleared his throat before talking in an announcer-like voice, “The Royal Scientist, W.D. Gaster has been declared deceased after an accident with his latest creation, The Core. While the mourning of a great scientist is only inevitable, a search for a new scientist is to start immediately.” He had every word memorized that day, but left the part about himself out. His father hadn’t returned home in days and he was worried. After turning on the news, that report had shown up. Sans didn’t know what to do, so he listened until he couldn’t anymore. He turned the television off before laying on the couch. He wasn’t too sure of how to take the news, and knew that it wouldn’t result in a good way.

“Sans, what are you getting at,” Mettaton asked.

“The girl came in contact with Papyrus and I’s father. He died in his creation, which turned him basically to radio waves. He found a way to contact us, and did so through this little girl.” He looked into the camera. “ _ W.D. Gaster, remove yourself from the body of this young girl. She is not a proper outlet of communication.” _

_ “This is the perfect outlet, my son.” _

_ “Just find another way, Gaster! Don’t hurt my brother’s second family.” _

_ “Never. I am pretty much stuck here for a while.”  _ The screen began to glitch out. “ _ My son, it is so nice to hear your voice again. It’s been so long. _ ” Sans ignored what he had said.

“I…” Sans was going to speak, but forgot what he was going to say. As he thought over the words that the voice had said, he realized that this wasn’t the person that the thought that it was.

“ _ My son, I do not wish harm to this gi-” _

_ “Quit calling me that,” _ Sans yelled, his voice cracking. “ _ You are my father, yet again you are not. Gaster would never do this, no matter how desperate he was. I have come into contact with him before, and this is not him. _ ”

“ _ Sans…” _

“Mettaton, do  _ not _ let her go anywhere. I don’t yet know what she is capable of.”

“Very well.” That was when the call cut out. Sans sat down on the couch, running his hands through his thinning hair. He ran them through his hair again and again before stopping with his hands on the top of his head.

“Call him every hour, on the hour. If things get worse, I’ll have to come with you out to L.A. You and I are probably the only two people left on the Earth that can speak  _ and _ translate that language.”

“I’ll text Mettaton and tell him that.” Papyrus took a deep breath. “Thank you, Sans.”

“It’s the least that I could do. I know that you’re still pretty slow on the verbal section of Wingdings. I’ll try to help you in the time before we get there.” Papyrus stepped forward and gave his brother a hug. Although Papyrus was the younger one, he was still much taller than his brother. Sans was about chest-level with Papyrus, so his hugs were always nice.

“Thank you, Sans. You’re the best brother that anyone could have.” As soon as his brother had said that, he was brought to a flashback. 

_ “Sans, thank you. You’re the best son that anyone could have.” _

_ Sans had smiled at this comment, no matter how many times he had heard it. He held the samples of something that he couldn’t remember, but was told hold it with caution as his father worked on combining two different vials of chemicals. He couldn’t remember what the experiment was, as they started a new one every day.  _

_ “Gaster?” A woman’s voice came from behind the door. _

_ “Yes, Your Majesty?” He didn’t take his eyes off of his experiment.  _

_ “May I come in? I do not wish any harm.” _

_ “You may, Queen Toriel,” Sans yelled and she opened the door. She walked in with her arm limply behind her back. Sans jumped from his stool, setting the vials down on the table in the process, and walked up to her. He bowed as she began to giggle. _

_ “This is my son, Asriel. He wished to come and see the Royal Lab.” Sans sat on the floor as Toriel stepped aside. Asriel stood meekly as Sans smiled at him. He held his hand out to the child. _

_ “I am Sans, Doctor Gaster’s assistant." _

_ “I am P-Prince Asriel.” He tried to stand tall. “Prince of the Underground.” _


	4. I Never Told You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I knew I could tell him eventually, but it took longer than I thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More philosophical chapter summaries! Yay!
> 
> Now, I do have the next few chapters ready, but I need a schedule still.
> 
> Will be planned soon.

_“It is wonderful to meet you. Doctor Gaster is currently busy with our newest project.” Sans turned to Gaster. “What are we doing again?”_

_“Working with pure determination.” Gaster turned around and looked at the small child. He seemed unaffected by the scars on the doctor’s face. “It’s pretty dangerous, Your Majesty. You’d best be careful.” Asriel walked slowly as Sans stood up. He held his hand out once again and the small prince grabbed ahold of it. He lead Asriel over to the table and let the child sit on the stool._

_“What does it do?” The child leaned forward, almost falling off of the chair in the process._

_“We are trying to bring souls back to life.” Gaster turned to the child. “Everyone has a SOUL. It is kept right,” he pointed to Asriel’s chest,” there.” Gaster turned back to his latest test. “We, meaning my son Sans and I, believe that a monster soul can be brought back for a short period of time by giving it pure determination.” Asriel seemed interested. “Let’s say that Sans died, and I wished to revive him for a short period of time. I believe that I could use determination to bring him back.” Gaster paused for a long period of time._

_“It is only a theory, but that is why we use experiments. We are going to see if they can be proven.” Sans smiled at the child again as he watched Gaster._

_“Wait, Sans is your_ son _,” Toriel asked._

_“Doctor Gaster is older than you think, Your Majesty,” Sans laughed and Gaster smacked him lightly on the arm._

_“I am only in my thirties, Madame,” He chuckled as he stepped back from his experiment. “You may want to leave the room, Queen Toriel. These experiments can get a bit… bizarre with their results.”_

_“What do you mean, Doctor Gaster,” Asriel asked._

_“Well, pure determination can cause gruesome results when the monsters are reformed from their souls.” He sat on his stool. “They tend to look like they are made of melting wax.”_

_“Like you?” As Asriel said that, Doctor Gaster began to laugh. Toriel walked forward and smacked Asriel lightly on the wrist._

_“Do not say such things, Asriel!”_

_“It is quite alright, Your Majesty. My deformities_ were _a result of a failed determination test of mine.” He looked over at Asriel. “I get that comment quite often.”_

Sans’s memory got a bit fuzzy before clearing up again.

_Sans was being held back by two guards, and Doctor Gaster was to be given his sentence._

_“Royal Scientist W.D. Gaster, you are sentenced to death for the murder of the royal family.”_

_“It wasn’t him,” Sans screamed. “He didn’t do it! It was a human! They tried to kill us after they got past the family!” Sans started to cry as he yelled. “It wasn’t him!”_

_“Get your assistant to stop screaming,” one of the guards yelled. “Or we will do it for you.” He pointed a pistol at Sans’ soul. His eyes went wide as he watched the gun being pointed at his soul, which was glowing a bright blue under his shirt._

_“Sans,” Gaster snapped and Sans went silent. “I know that I didn’t, but these_ **_bastards_ ** _think that I did. Just let them do what they must. Take care of Papyrus, alright?”_

_“Dad! You aren’t going to let them do this!”_

_“Stop screaming or they will kill you too. The both of us can’t be dead, Papyrus needs someone to take care of him.” Sans went quiet again and stayed that way._

_“Any last words, Gaster?”_

_“Sans, I love you. Tell your brother that,” the tears could be heard in his voice. “Tell Papyrus that Dad isn’t going to be around anymore. Tell him that I love him, and that I will miss him.” That was the last things that he heard before Gaster fell. He fell off of the rails that the guards had him sitting on._

_“Dad!” Sans lost the ability to stand after the guards had let go of him. He looked up. “You can test me all you like, you will find no monster dust on me or my father’s lab coat.” He just sat on the floor and cried as the guards left._

_All of a sudden, an orange box glowed in front of him_

_RESET_

_Not knowing what to do, he pressed the button. The world went white as he sat still. When his vision came back, he was sitting him his bed. He sat up and looked around._

_“Was that a dream?”_

_“Sans! You’re late for work!” It was Papyrus. His cheery and light voice was a relief to hear._

_“I’m not feeling good, Paps. I’m going to stay in bed today.”_

_“Alright.” He heard his brother going up the stairs. The door opened and his brother walked into the room. That just made the day all the more enjoyable._

_\--_

_When Sans turned on the news, he saw that the same thing that had happened before the ‘reset’ had happened. The only difference was that he wasn’t there._

“Sans, are you alright? You seem out of it.”

“I never did tell you what Dad said before he died, did I?”

_You're as strong as you want to be._


	5. Stories and Truths

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The truth can come out, even when you don't want it to.

“You were there?”

“I was at one point. He told me to tell you that he wasn’t going to be around anymore and that he loves you.”

“I already know that, Sans. Why are you telling me this now?”

“Because,” the tears were thick in his voice. “Because I never told you when I was supposed to.” He took a deep breath before sobbing. “I never told you that when I knew that it would have turned out so much different. I could have helped you through the anxiety and depression, all by telling you that. Yet, I couldn’t bring myself to say those things to you. It brought back bad memories and I was too selfish and too much of a coward to actually tell you what Dad had said.”

“Sans,” Papyrus sighed. “There is nothing that you could do for that. I was only going through the stages of grief.”

Sans spoke slowly. “Stages of grief?”

“Yeah!” Papyrus smiled. “Since you were studying quantum physics, I wanted to study something too. I decided on psychology, and just finished a part in the book that I am reading that was about it. It is actually really interesting! Ms. Toriel is letting me mentor with the guidance counselor for community service!”

“That is how you’ve been getting that many hours?” Papyrus let his brother go.

“Yeah, I work there in my study halls. I get to learn more about psychology and help the kids at the same time! It’s the perfect job!”

“Why didn’t you tell me about this, Pap?”

“Well, I knew that we were having some financial troubles, and I knew that I would probably have to wait a few years until I could go to college. I decided to not bring it up because I knew that after high school, I’m going to work until I am able to go.” Papyrus smiled as he hugged his brother again.

“Dad left his savings in my name, and I have it for you to go to college. It’s around 400,000 dollars,” Sans confessed. “You don’t need to worry about it.”

“He left us that much?” Papyrus gasped. “Why? How?”

“It is an ungodly long story.”

“Tell me.”

“Fine, but let me go first.” Papyrus let go of his brother again and his brother began to speak.

“It all started with a child, and we really never did find this child.” Sans sighed. “When you were little, we lived in a place called the UNDERGROUND. Your teacher, Ms. Dreemurr, was of the royal family. Dad and I were the scientists that worked with a chemical dubbed DETERMINATION. We were attempting to bring back souls using it. Little Asriel, I only met him once. He was growing up to be an amazing prince.”

“Wait, Ms. Dreemurr was a queen?”

“Yes, but that was a long time ago.” Sans sighed again before continuing. “Dad and I would do a new experiment every day, so I never could remember what project we were working on. One particular day, Dad and I were doing an experiment with the souls. We were trying to prove my Theory of Soul Revival. As we were testing, Ms. Dreemurr brought her son in to observe the experiment. As he was sitting there, the test failed.” Sans took a deep breath. “Ms. Dreemurr wasn’t in the room when it failed. When it failed, the DETERMINATION ended up falling on Asriel. Since he was a pure soul, he didn’t get all of the repercussions that he would have if he wasn’t. Not too long after, a child came around and ended up killing the royal family. Dad was blamed for it and killed.”

“Sans-”

“Dad was to be executed, but he fell into the Core just before it happened. I was being held back by guards while they tried to kill him, then he just…. fell backwards off of the railing and into the Core.” Sans looked down at his phone and turned it on. The time he read was 9:00 pm. “I am going to go to bed.” Sans plugged his phone in and went upstairs. “You’d better head to bed as well, Paps.”

“I will, I just need to do some things. You head up and sleep. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Sans only nodded as he trudged up the stairs. As soon as Papyrus heard his brother close the door, he grabbed Sans’s phone.

_It's not that easy_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> END NOTES THIS TIME!
> 
> I'm sitting in Algebra and waiting to see one of my tests. Hopefully I did good!
> 
> I have enough material for maybe three more chapters to be posted before the activity will stall.
> 
> EDIT: I did really bad on that test.
> 
> EDIT 2: IF YOU WANT TO FOLLOW ME ON TUMBLR, IT IS The-Flaming-Creampuff. It is usually just anime bullshit and stuff that I find funny.


	6. Phone Numbers and Threats

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I didn't mean to hurt you. I was angry.

The phone had about half battery, so that was enough battery to last. He unplugged the phone and went into Sans’s contacts. As Papyrus was scrolling through the numbers, he came across the one that he was looking for. He called the number and held the phone up to his ear.

“Hello?”

“Ms. Toriel! It’s Papyrus.”

“Why might you be calling off of your brother’s phone? And at this hour?”

“I need some phone numbers. I’m not too sure of where to find the ones that I will be looking for, so you are the first person that I thought of.”

“What kind of numbers do you need?”

Papyrus sat on the couch. “I need some numbers to a few therapists for Sans.”

“Therapist? Why would he need that?”

“He’s been having some trouble lately and I think it is serious enough to the point of needing it.”

“Well, I only have about two or three on hand.”

“Could you please tell? I really need them.” She began to relay the numbers as Papyrus write them down on his hand.

“What has been going on with him?”

“It is things about our dad. He, apparently, was there to witness his death while he was working with him.”

“I remember your father, Papyrus,” Toriel chuckled. “There was a time when he worked for me, as did your brother.”

“When you were ruler of the Underground, correct? He told me about it.”

Toriel stayed silent for a moment. “Yes, it was at that time. Things were hard for him after Gaster died. It was really heartbreaking to see how he went from being so cheery and peppy to… being so sad.” She paused again. “Well I must go and tuck Asriel into bed.”

“Alright, goodbye!”

“Goodbye, Papyrus.” He hung up and plugged the phone back in. Running upstairs, he went to his room and opened his laptop. The first thing that showed up was a message from Mettaton.

‘Would two weeks from now work? I am open that entire week.’

Papyrus smiled as he replied in agreement. He opened a browser and typed the different phone numbers into the search bar. As he read about each one, he was trying to decide on one. He suddenly heard his door open.

“Why were you on my phone?” Sans stood there with his phone in one hand.

“I… I called Ms. Toriel. I needed a few phone numbers, so I just asked her for them.”

“What did you need them for?”

“Nothing important, Sans. Go back to bed.”

“Tell me, Papyrus,” Sans snapped.

“It isn’t important.”

“Tell me or you can consider your trip to see your boyfriend cancelled!”

“I’m sending you to therapy, Sans,” Papyrus yelled. Sans was surprised by hearing his brother yell, but listened anyways. “Your nightmares are getting out of hand, and I think that talking to someone that can understand your problems better than I can will end up helping you.” Papyrus straightened his back. “You refuse to tell me, so sending you to someone who can get it out of you is my last hope.”

“I am fine, Pap.”

“You are as bad of a liar than Dad was.”

“You don’t need to worry about it.”

“Just let me take care of you just this once, please,” Papyrus yelled. “You are always taking care of people, so just _LET ME DO THIS FOR YOU!"_

“We can talk about this in the morning. Go to bed.” Sans walked out of the room without another word.

_I know that._


	7. It Gets Worse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stress, stress, and more stress. How much more can they take?

Papyrus’s stress levels were rising higher and higher as it got closer to the departure date. Sans had received the tickets days prior, and they were packing and preparing in the coming days.

“Paps, you need to calm down. We don’t need to trigger another attack.”

“I just,” he took a deep, wheezy breath and sat down. “I’m terrified.”

“You’ve done this before, why are you so nervous?”

“Well, I have to go and meet some of Metta’s friends and family. They’ve never met me, and have only heard things about me.” His eyes began to water has his breath sped up even faster than it was. Sans grabbed his brother’s phone and plugged his headphones in. Turning on one of the playlists, he put the headphones on his brother.

“Deep breaths. You will be alright,” Sans was signing in Wingdings. His hands were shaky, as he wasn’t the best. Papyrus only put his hands over the speakers as tears fell down his face. “You will be alright, Paps. I promise that.”

“You… think so?” Papyrus was speaking slowly, trying both to stay calm and speak in Wingdings.

“I know so,” Sans smiled at his brother. “You’ve got this.” His brother’s phone went off. Papyrus threw the headphones off, the cord unplugging from the phone with it, and Sans presumed that the volume of the loud ringtone was bursting his eardrums.

“Hey dear,” Papyrus laughed as he answered the phone. His smile dropped off of his face almost instantly. “She’s what? Wait, let me put you out loud.”

“Sans,” Mettaton’s voice was shaky, but loud. “It’s getting worse.”

“What kind of worse? This could go bad in many different ways. Be specific.”

“It is almost like she is melting.”

“Her body is having a negative reaction to the excessive amount of Determination in her body.” Sans ran into the kitchen and grabbed a chair. He dragged it over to the stove and stood on it. “Papyrus! I can’t reach the compartment! You’re taller than I am.” Papyrus ran over and opened the small door that was above the stove. “Grab everything that is in there.” Papyrus put his other hand into the small hole and took out all of the papers.

“What are these?”

“Notes. Dad’s notes on Determination as a chemical. I need to find the sheet that spoke about excess determination. Tell Mettaton to just stay calm and keep her calm. It won’t hurt her.” He began to go through the papers with a noticeable panic. “Found it!” He began to read loud enough for Mettaton to hear over the phone.

“Excess determination in the body can cause side effects such as a deterioration in the muscle, creating the appearance of melting. Others can include the brain going into a function known at our facility as Wingdings Syndrome, where a person has super-human abilities such as being able to distort their voice and be able to alter a person’s memories. Their powers, however, only can affect a person within three feet. Another side effect is that they have the ability to work with a person’s head and make it so that they can impersonate communication with a person who is no longer in another’s life. This syndrome gets its name from the language that it uses to communicate itself that uses that is under the same name.

The best thing is to NOT GIVE IN. They will be relentless in trying to trick and manipulate the person they are trying to spread to. Don’t listen to what they say, don’t listen to their pleas. This syndrome is completely painless, but will feel a bit uncomfortable.

The only cure is Spell 19,758 in Book 17, as well as Incantation 76.”

_Then why would you tell me that?_


	8. Books, Books, and More Books

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The books hold the answers, but they also hold the secrets.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS WILL BE THE TIME WHERE ACTIVITY WILL STALL AS I NEED TO CATCH UP.

“Do you have those?”

“I need to find the attic key.” He ran his hand through his hair and sighed. “That is going to be an endeavor in itself. Then I need to go through Dad’s unusually large book collection, and it will be in there somewhere.”

“I know exactly where it is! It’s in the drawer of Dad’s nightstand. I remember him telling me that!” Sans looked at his brother for a long time before speaking again.

“Where did you find that?”

“He told me in case I ever wanted to see his journals. He must be forgetful if they were in the oven compartment!”

“I moved them. I moved them after he died so that I could work with this stuff if I ever needed to. I will be back. Stay on the phone with him while I find it.” He ran to the stairs and decided that it would just be easier to use a shortcut. He used one, and heard Papyrus yelling at him from downstairs.

“You _need_ to stop doing that!”

“It’s faster!” He ran into his father’s room and went to the nightstand. He shuffled through the papers and trinkets until he found a small key. Running to the hall, he put the key in and unlocked the door. He ran up the small flight of stairs before he ended up in the loft-like room that was their attic. It smelled of dust, and the dust could also be seen.

This was probably going to take a while

====

Sans sat in the attic and searched through the boxes and chests until he found a shelf full of books.

“Bingo.” He blew the dust off of the spines and began to look through. He glanced over the shelf multiple times before he found the book that he was looking for. As he held the book in his hand, he began to remember a time when he and his father used to work up here.

_“Sans, can you hand me another bottle of ink?”_

_“You’re going through a lot of ink today, Dad.” Sans was so tired, he didn’t even want to make a pun. He handed his father the ink bottle as he set down the calligraphy pen. Sans watched his father as he opened the bottle and continued writing._

_‘I can’t believe I have seen you die multiple times, yet I am still sitting up here and working with you,’ he thought to himself. He almost said it out loud, but it was good that he didn’t._

_“Sans, would you be uncomfortable if I ran some tests on you?”_

_“What’s wrong?”_

_“Well, I saw that you have the ability to RESET, and I want to know if you also have the ability to SAVE.”_

_“What are the tests again? I can’t really remember the ones that are done.”_

_“Book 17, page 171. Third paragraph down has the list of different tests.” Sans walked shakily over to the bookshelf and grabbed the book he was looking for. He quickly flipped through the book before stopping at the exact page that he needed to be at._

_“I see that your speed flipping is getting better.”_

_“I practice with some of Pap’s bedtime stories. It isn’t too hard now with soft-cover books, but I’m still working with hard-covers.” He looked down at the tests and almost dropped the book._

_“What are the tests again? I don’t remember, and I need to get ready.” Sans stayed silent as he started to shake. He kept reading. It was such a long list, at least thirty tests. “Sans, what are the tests?”_

_What’s going on? Why can’t I move? Why is everything fuzzy? Why is my hearing fuzzy? What’s wrong? What did I do?_

 

_You're stronger than I was._


	9. Intentions and Worries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When you do something you know could hurt someone, you wouldn't tell them, right?
> 
> This is also something that can kill if the other finds out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is sad and I almost cried writing it, no joke.
> 
> Also, if needed, tw for brief mention of self harm and attempted suicide.

When Sans found what he was looking for, he ran down the stairs.

“Metta, you can’t listen to what she is saying. She is trying to manipulate you into spreading it.” Papyrus was trying to reason with the other over the phone.

“It all sounds so real though. I think she’s coming through.”

“It is nothing but a deception, dear. Just get out of the room. Sans and I are flying out next week, so hopefully we can get through this as fast as possible.”

“I’m feeling red again, Paps. I’m scared.”

“You’ll be okay, I promise you.”

Muffled speaking was heard in the background of the call before he heard Mettaton’s voice again. “I have to go and talk to someone. My friend is here to tell you if anything happens.” He heard Mettaton stand up, and the line went quiet.

“What is going on?” The man’s voice on the other side of the line. It was quiet and young-sounding, but still loud enough to hear.

“It’s not something to worry about. But, I do have a question about Metta.”

“Ask away, Papyrus.” He could hear the smile in the man’s voice. “Any friend of my cousin’s is a friend of mine.”

“What does he mean by he starts feeling ‘red’?”

“Has he not told you? I guess I should have expected that, he could barely tell me.”

“What is wrong?”

“You are studying psychology, right?”

“Pediatric psychology, but yes.”

“He’s not exactly in the right mental state at this moment. You’re probably the only thing that’s really keeping him alive.”

“Alive?”

“Okay, he _really_ hasn’t told you anything. He’s tried to…. End his own life. Multiple times, to be exact. The amount’s around three or four. There may have been a few he never told me about, but I am not sure. Along with that, he harms.”

“What?” His voice was small as he spoke. Why didn’t he know about this? He knew that it was a hard thing to talk about, that’s from his own experience with himself. Yet, he thought that his boyfriend was so open. Sans stood in the doorway as his brother spoke on the phone. “Is that why he has the bandages?”

“Yes, he still does this. It isn’t something that was in the past. This is _still going on_.” Sans saw his brother’s eyes fill with tears as he became concerned. Nonetheless, he still sat and listened to the conversation. “I’m really happy that you came into his life when you did. You know, he was going to therapy, but it wasn’t doing anything. If anything, it was making things worse. He would talk about wanting a boyfriend, but he didn’t want to end up becoming dependent on them to keep him alive. He wanted to do it himself, with the help from them. It was that day that he decided to never mention that to the therapist again.”

“Why is that?”

“The therapist is really religious, and I think that you know how that ended up.”

“Attempted conversion therapy?”

“Yep. He was so hurt, and so scared. He questioned everything that he did, that is, until he got into contact with you.”

“It was actually through one of our mutual friends, Shyren. She got us into contact with each other, and we were both so awkward around each other.” Papyrus began to chuckle as tears ran faster down his cheeks and onto his hand. “I-I remember when I first saw him in person, that was last summer. It was amazing to see him, he was- and still is -so beautiful. It was when I looked him in the eyes that I could see that it wasn’t all it seemed to be. I knew there was something out of place, but I never would have thought that it was like this.” His voice cracked on the last word as he sat down. “I don’t fly out until next week, so keep an extra eye out for him. Please.”

“I sure can, Papyrus. I’ll keep an extra eye out.”

“Thank you, so much.” He heard a door open on the other line and wiped his eyes. He heard walking, and someone sit down.

“How has she been? Anything change that Blooky could see?”

“Nope, she’s still in the melting stage.”

“Just don’t touch her, Mettaton. You won’t be able to get that part of her back. It will cause you to melt along with her and create an amalgamate,” Sans cut in.

“How long were you standing there?”

“Long enough to know that I probably should try to get plane tickets for tomorrow instead of next week.”

_That's not true._


	10. I Need To Tell You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't bring myself to do it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS SAD AND THERE IS A LOT OF DIALOGUE
> 
> tw: mention of attempted suicide and self harm

Papyrus and his brother sat at the table with Mettaton on the phone. It was more of Papyrus talking, and Sans listening. He stayed in the room to possibly catch something that his brother wouldn’t when the other on the line was explaining everything.

“Why didn’t you tell me about this over the summer? I could have stayed longer and been there when it got really bad.”

“What was the point of doing it if you wouldn’t understand?” This was about the seventh time that he had said that, and Sans was tired of Papyrus keeping the same secret that he found about his boyfriend.

“He _does_ understand because he went through it. After our dad died, things got really bad. The only reason that even I knew about it was because I caught him.” Mettaton was silent on the end. He didn’t know what to say. “Now that the both of you have come clean with each other, I am going to go and try to get different flights.” He stood up and walked into the living room, still listening as he opened the browser.

“It isn’t a problem for me anymore, but it is one for you. I was planning to tell you when we came out, I was going to talk about my father and his experiments, about what he did to get to where he was. He was loved by everyone in the Underground, but I only knew him when I was little. I was just barely out of tenth grade when he died, and I wasn’t in the right mental state. I don’t know how I started it, or really exactly when, but my brain didn’t want to stop. It kept going and going for two years before Sans found out after I went out to see you. You were the one that changed my perspective on everything for the better.

I felt comfortable in my skin again, and decided to take things into my own hands and stop doing it entirely. I was comfortable again, then Sans found the scars on my arm and legs. It scared me to see him the way that he was. He wasn’t angry, he was confused. He didn’t know what to do about it, and it just killed me. He was crying, I was crying. I was trying to explain myself, but I couldn’t. I was sent to a doctor and they put me in a stress facility for a month and a half. That was why I started to talk to you for hours on end for a month. I literally just got to sit around most of the time. It was amazing that I got to talk to you more. It made me feel happy, like I was still there with you.

When I got out, school was difficult. It wasn’t because I had to get everything done, it was because of what the people said. Apparently, some source had seen us at the park when I went out to you. They took pictures and it was everywhere. I was never alone after that, and I hated it. I hated always having people around me because I felt like I could never be myself, I could never truly be in silence. Even when I was at home, some people leaked my phone number and began to call. They got the house phone, my phone, and Sans’ phone. I don’t really remember what some of them said, but I remember Sans unplugging the phone and changing both of our phone numbers. I was never left alone until this year. Some people tried to bombard me with questions and comments, but I blocked them out. Everyone was confused about my change in behavior.

They all decided to just leave me alone, and I took that wall down. I became my cheery self again, and everyone acted like nothing had happened. It was, months after it had happened, when someone found that I was at a stress center, it happened again. People kept asking why I was there, how long I was there, where I was exactly, and how well it worked. People left me alone when they saw that I wanted to be left alone, but were around at any other time. Even now, I am never truly alone. But, it is in a good way because I have you.”

“Why didn’t you say anything about this, darling?”

“The same reason that you didn’t say anything, I couldn’t bring myself to do it.”

_You should have seen me. I was a wreck._


	11. Planes and Phones

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A plane is probably the worse possible place to talk about this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cliffhangers are my life, yet they are the death of me.
> 
> Any questions? Send me a message on my Tumblr: the-flaming-creampuff
> 
> ALSO, TRY TO GUESS WHO THE CHILD IS. IT SEEMS TO BE PRETTY EASY.

Sans and Papyrus stood at the airport and waited until their plane was called. Papyrus had been on the phone for the past hour, and the call was starting to get unsettling to listen to.

“Listen, Mettaton, I need you to stay with your cousin until Sans and I fly in.” There was silence for a second. Papyrus had now learned to turn the volume of his calls down so that his brother couldn’t eavesdrop on him. “Please, just do this for me. I know you’ve been stressed and you have work, but I don’t want you to end up with another attack. I hate seeing you when you are so nervous, it really scares me.”

“Paps, we need to go on our plane.”

“Metta, I need to go. I have to get on the plane. I’ll see you in a few hours, I love you.” There was silence for a second before Papyrus put his phone away in his pocket. “I hate hearing him when he is like this.”

“Is he having another attack?”

“He’s on the edge of one. I told his that he should go and see his cousin, I said that I would call when we land, but he refuses.” He put his phone in the small basket that was on a conveyor belt, along with his jacket. Sans did the same thing as he walked through the metal detector. Papyrus followed and nearly got the shit scared out of himself when the machine went off.

He forgot to take off the ring that Mettaton gave him.

The machine went off as he looked down at his hand. He took the ring off and stepped back from the machine. He nodded a silent apology to the man who was working the detector before putting the ring with his jacket. He stepped through again with no problem. After they grabbed their stuff, they walked towards the gate and onto the plane.

Papyrus put away the carry-on bags as Sans sat down. When he put the bag up, he sat next to his brother who was already asleep. As he sat down on his phone, he felt a small hand in his hair. He turned slowly and saw a small child, around nine or ten, with their hand in his hair.

They did the sign for soft and Papyrus began to chuckle. He signed a thanks to them as their mother noticed that they were playing with his hair. Using one arm, she pulled the child down into their seat.

“I am terribly sorry about her, she’s always a bit curious.”

“It’s quite alright, miss,” Papyrus smiled at her. “I spend a majority of my time with children, so it isn’t really a bother.”

“You seem pretty young to be travelling by yourself. Where might you be going?”

“My brother and I are flying out to L.A. I’m going to go and see my… partner. I haven’t seen them since the summer, so I felt the need to see them again.”

“ _You look familiar._ ” The child signed.

“Darling, use your words.”

“I know sign language to an extent. It is easier to translate than it is to sign.” He smiled down at the child.

“ _Now I know you! You’re that Youtuber, Mettaton’s boyfriend!_ ” Papyrus only nodded. “ _The both of you are so cool!_ ” He chuckled lightly. The child changed the subject. “ _How do you know sign language?_ ”

“ _I work with kids who speak it, so they taught me. Why do you use sign language?_ ”

“ _I have this thing. It’s hard to talk, and I’ve always been behind. Mom remembers the word, but I don’t_.” The child turned to their mother. He heard a small voice that he assumed was the child. “What..word..speech delay?” She looked over at Papyrus.

“She has autism, so she has a bit of a speech development delay.” Papyrus nodded at the mother who smiled back at him. “Most people are so rude about it.”

“Well, you as a parent and they as a child can’t do anything about it.”

“I completely forgot to introduce myself, my name is Mary.” She held her hand out and Papyrus shook it.

“Papyrus Gaster, next to me is my brother, Sans.”

“That name sounds familiar.”

“My father was a scientist working on a creation called The Core.”

“You are W.D. Gaster’s sons? The press has been looking for the two of you since he died.”

“Sans didn’t really want to be involved with it, so we aren’t. We pretended that we moved away, and were able to stay in the house that we are in. I am pretty surprised that no one has really noticed it by our name yet, but I guess that it is a good thing.” Papyrus shrugged and glanced again at the child that was standing on the chair. They were looking out the window and watching something move.

They glanced away when they noticed that Papyrus was looking at them. They only smiled before looking back out the window. He turned back around and glanced over at his brother. He was awake, but had his headphones on.

It was when he started speaking that Papyrus realized that he was on the phone.

He was speaking quietly in Wingdings, possibly in an attempt to make sure that no one could hear him speaking in a pretty much dead language. He heard one thing and knew what it was.

“ _He’s with me right now, so you can’t take him. We’re on a plane that is going to Los Angeles and won’t be back until next week_.”

Who’s trying to take who?

_I don't believe you._


	12. Reports

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anger can get the better of anyone in the right situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh the twists!
> 
> Oh the cliffhangers!
> 
> Oh the humanity!
> 
> I am surprised that I haven't gotten caught writing fan-fiction in any of my classes yet, especially my common time.

Papyrus listened to his brother speaking on the phone.

 _“Grandfather, please do not get angry. If that happens, bad things will happen and you know it.”_ There was a long silence. _“Papyrus will be able to sense the tension. When he does, his magic will go into defense mode and that won’t end well for the people on the plane. That list of people includes us.”_ Sans took a deep breath and swallowed, trying to hold back tears.

“ _Sans, what is wrong?”_ Papyrus tapped his brother on the shoulder and signed to him. _“Why is Grandfather trying to take me?”_

 _“I can tell you later, Papyrus.” He spoke to the man on the phone again. “Listen, I have to go before I get in trouble. Goodbye.”_ He hung the phone up before taking off his headphones. He let them hang on his neck as he ran his hand through his hair. He ran his hand to the back of his head.

And let’s just say, Papyrus had never seen his brother so startled in his life.

It was the child again, the same one from earlier. They were running their hands through Sans’ hair and smiling. “ _Thin_ ,” they signed to Papyrus. He chuckled as the child went back to their seat.

“Is that the kid you were talking to?”

“Yeah, they ended up doing the same thing to me. It was pretty startling.”

“No shit,” Sans muttered. “What did they say?”

“They said that your hair is thin.” He turned to the kid who was peaking over the seat again.

“I know that already, kid.” He chuckled as they bounced on the chair. “What’s your name? Did my bro even bother asking?”

“ _I’m_ _F-r-i-s-k_.” They spelled out their name.

“Well, where are you going, Frisk?”

“ _Ms. Mary, I call her Mom, and I are going to see my new family!_ ”

“You’re getting adopted, kid?”

“ _Yeah! I’m going out to New York City. My new mom’s name is Toriel, and she has a son named Asriel._ ” This was just a coincidence, it had to be.

“Well, my brother and I are from there. Do you know the last name? We might know them.”

“ _It’s spelled really weird. I’ve never heard of it before. D-r-e-e-m-u-r-r._ ”

“Well, she is actually one of my brother’s teachers. She’s a good woman, I promise you. She wouldn’t hurt a fly, unless it threatened someone close to her, that is.”

“ _That’s good to know. Thank you!”_

“Wait, if you’re going to New York, why are you on a plane to Los Angeles?”

“We have to fly from there, since we couldn’t get any other flights,” Mary interrupted. “It is a bit annoying, but it is the best that we can do.”

\---

When they finally landed, the first thing that happened was Papyrus being flooded by reporters. He just continues walking and tried not to speak. It was just a flurry of noise and lights until he heard one question be yelled.

“Is it true that you don’t come around because your boyfriend doesn’t want you here?”

Papyrus stopped in his tracks and turned around. The reporters that were around him backed up, including the one that yelled the question. He began to walk over to the person, his fingers glowing.

“You can trash-talk me all you like. Say whatever the _hell_ you want about me.” He pointed at the man who yelled it. “But never, I repeat _never_ , bring my boyfriend into this. Got it? There’s already enough crap going on in both of our lives and we don’t need your bullsh-” Sans grabbed his brother’s wrist and began to drag him away.

“Great, now your magic is upset _and_ we have the press after us,” Sans muttered as he saw Papyrus’s friend, Shyren. She walked quickly over to them and began to usher them into the car. When they were in, she shut the door and hurried to the driver’s side of the car. She got it and started to drive away.

“Papyrus, what the hell was that?”

“Some reporter was trash-talking Metta.” He looked down at his hands and saw that they were glowing. “I got angry.”

“I hope to Jesus that you didn’t end up hurting anyone because then you are going to get yourself killed by the reporters around here."

“I didn’t. Threw some words at him, but didn’t hurt him physically.” His hands began to shake as he teared up. He wiped his eyes as they pulled up to the house.

_..._


	13. Tea and Talks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stress comes in many forms.
> 
> Plus, Papyrus's favorite flavor of tea is Blueberry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BEFORE YOU WONDER, THE DIALOGUE IS GOING TO SOUND FORCED AND UNCOMFORTABLE BECAUSE THAT IS HOW I WROTE IT. ON PURPOSE.
> 
> For someone as happy and cheery as Papyrus, talking about the things that they do is uncomfortable and awkward. He feels as if he has to talk about it, and has to force it out.
> 
> Also, Papyrus and I share tastes in tea flavors.
> 
> I got to stay home sick today. DAMN YOU BRONCHITIS! I had a test today and I missed it ._.

When they got out, they carried the luggage that they had in their laps. When they walked into the yard, Mettaton came running out. He jumped on his boyfriend and knocked him over. He started laughing, but Papyrus only smiled. Mettaton knew that the smile was forced.

“What’s wrong, darling,” Mettaton giggled, dragging out the last word for a second or two longer.

“Your boyfriend blew up on a reporter after we got off of the plane,” Sans said as he grabbed his brother’s luggage. “It was pretty intense to see him yell like he did.”

“There’s probably a video around somewhere by now,” Papyrus said, his voice flat and void of emotion. They looked into each other’s eyes and Mettaton saw that the other’s eyes were dull. The bright and beautiful brown eyes that he always loved to look into had lost their spark

“Why won’t you talk to me?”

“There isn’t really much that I can say. It happened, and that’s that.” Mettaton only rolled off of the other and stood up. He held his hand out and Papyrus grabbed it. After he stood up, they all went into the house in silence. Papyrus took a deep breath as they stepped in.

They followed Mettaton up the stairs and to a guest room. When they put their stuff down, Sans went into his bag and grabbed a pile of papers. He sat on the bed and began to sort through them.

“I want these to be ready so I don’t screw anything up.” The other two decided to just go downstairs. The air around them was hard to describe, but it was heavy.

When they got to the living room, they sat on the couch and Papyrus hugged his boyfriend. He hugged him like he was the last thing in the world. Mettaton could feel Papyrus’ deep breath and his heart racing. It was when his shoulders began to shake that Mettaton got worried. He held the taller boy as he cried into his shoulder.

“I see you finally broke,” Mettaton whispered. Papyrus only nodded as he cried harder. “Just let it out, darling. It’s better than holding it in.”

“I’m re-admitting to the stress center when we get back. I don’t care how long I have to be there, I have to get better.” His voice was thick with tears and broke at many points while he spoke.

“Do what you must, darling.” Mettaton smiled. “Sometimes, things just get to be too much.”

“It’s not that things are getting hard to handle. I just can’t keep trying to please everyone.”

“That makes sense, darling.” He paused for a second and rubbed the other’s back. “Do you want to come and help me make some tea? Blooky always puts the tea up too high for me to grab.” Papyrus nodded as they stood up.

  
_Believe me, things are going to be alright._


	14. Reporting The Story

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When stories are told and truths are revealed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finished this in my typing class and am trying to post this.
> 
> EDIT: I had to post this in my common time.

The two went back out into the living room as they drank their tea.

“What kind did you pick, Metta? I couldn’t see.”

“I got peach, what did you pick?”

“Blueberry, my usual.”

“What did the reporter that you spoke to look like?”

“I don’t know, but he had a red and blue swirly logo on his jacket and his camera.”

Mettaton nearly choked on his tea. “You blew up on a UGW reporter?”

“UGW? What’s that?”

“UnderGround Weekly? They are following any one of us or anyone who was recovered, including you and I. In fact, we seem to be their favorite target.”

“Oh, that thing? Well now I recognize the guy, he’s the head reporter. That James Alej-something guy.”

“James Alejandra? Oh my god, I’m impressed. No one has ever talked back to that asshole since… me.” Mettaton started laughing. “I can’t believe that he actually made you blow up.” He grabbed his computer.

“What are you doing?”

“He updates the website everyday, so I want to see what he wrote about you.” He grabbed a pair of glasses and logged in. Mettaton turned and leaned on his boyfriend as they searched.

“I didn’t know that you wear glasses, Metta.”

“I only wear them when I am on my computer. I am supposed to always wear them, but they are just annoying.” The two adjusted so that Mettaton was sitting between Papyrus’ legs and leaning on his chest while they waited for the webpage to load. When it did, the story was on the front of the page.

**_Like Star, Like Partner_ **

Mettaton laughed at the headline as he clicked on it. The first thing that popped up was a video of when Papyrus was yelling at the reporter.

“I told you so,” Papyrus muttered as he looked away from the screen.

“ _You can trash-talk me all you like. Say whatever the hell you want about me. But never, I repeat_ never _, bring my boyfriend into this. Got it? There’s already enough crap going on in both of our lives and we don’t need your bullsh-_ ” The video then cut out. Mettaton smiled as he turned around. He kissed Papyrus on the forehead and chuckled.

“You really _did_ blow up on him.” He turned around again and scrolled down the screen. “Let’s see what he wrote.”

Papyrus hummed as he waited for Mettaton to say something.

“Papyrus Gaster’s behavior seems to mimic that of his boyfriend, Mettaton. It really does makes sense, as the two did not…” Mettaton stopped. “‘The two did not meet in a traditional way, rather through a friend,’ one of our sources says.”

“Shit,” Papyrus muttered. He sighed. “I was talking with this woman on our plane ride that was bring a child to my teacher. I told her some stuff, since she seemed to be trustworthy. I mean, she knows one of the most trustworthy people that I know!” He yelled the last sentence.

“You just need to be a bit more careful with what you say to who.”

“Still, she didn’t seem like she was a source for one of the biggest magazines around!”

“They’re getting sneakier and sneakier as time goes on.” Then, his phone rang. He picked it up. “Hello?” Mettaton began to laugh as he handed Papyrus the phone. “It’s for you.”

“Papyrus Gaster speaking.”

“Why the hell would you do that?” He recognized the voice as Mettaton’s manager.

“My anger got the better of me. Plus, it was pretty fun to blow up on that reporter.”

“You do realize that by bringing the spotlight on yourself, people are trying to get into contact with you, right? The presses everywhere want to interview you and your brother.”

“Well, we aren’t interested. We want to just stay out of it and let them make their speculations. I might talk to them after I graduate, which is in around a month.”

“Find that goddamn reporter, and tell him to stop calling our office to find you and your brother, got it?”  


“I will do my best.” Papyrus hung the phone up and gave it back to the other. “Well, I have to go and talk to that guy again to get him to stop calling your manager.”

_And what if I don't believe you?_


	15. Plans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Planning and changes in appearance can sometimes run hand in hand.

“Now, how are we going to do this?” Mettaton sat with his glasses tipped onto the edge of his nose. Papyrus leaned on the other’s shoulders as they tried to think of what to say.

“I’m not sure. You’ve dealt with him more than I have, so I don’t know what he’s like.”

“He’s a dick, and everyone knows it,” Metta chuckled as he started to type. “I think that I have an idea for what you and I can say.” He began to type faster and faster, and Papyrus couldn’t keep up with what he was typing. After about ten minutes, he was done. “Look it over and tell me what you think.” Papyrus began to read it over and started laughing before he got through the first paragraph.

“That is awesome,” Mettaton smiled in triumph. “We need to annoy the piss out of this guy, we really do.”

“I agree, and I know just how we can do it.”

\---

“Hello, this is Mettaton Glamour and I would like to request an appointment with James Alejandra and his editor if at all possible.” Mettaton sat and adjusted his glasses. Papyrus, being both worried about Mettaton’s vision and thinking that they were cute, talked his boyfriend into wearing the glasses to the meeting.

“Will it just be you, or will you have your manager?”

“I will be accompanied by my boyfriend and assistant manager, Papyrus Gaster.” He cradled the phone between his shoulder and his ear as he packed some papers into a case that Sans let him borrow.

“Now, all I need is some personal information to make sure this isn’t a fraudulent call.”

“James has all of my things on file, including this number. Personal information is not needed.”

“I am required by law to receive the information, Mr. Glamour.”

Mettaton sighed. “Very well, but I do have some business to attend to at the moment. I will send my assistant manager to give you the information.” He put the phone on speaker before bringing Papyrus into the room. “Just give them the info that they ask for while I go and double-check my papers, please?”

“Of course, Metta.” He sat down with the phone as Mettaton walked out of the room with the case and closed the door. “Papyrus Gaster speaking.”

“Ah, hello Mr. Gaster-”

“Papyrus is just fine, ma’am.”

“Hello, Papyrus. I just have a few questions about your client.”

“Proceed.”

“Full name?”

“Mettaton Glamour, no middle name.”

“Date of birth?”

“The fifth of July, 1996.”

“Sex?”

“In reference to biological?”

“There is no difference,” the woman scoffed.

“Yes, there is.”

“In reference to identification.”

“When listed as gender, my client and partner is male. When listed as sex, he is biologically female.”

“I will note that.”

“Thank you,” Papyrus smiled as Sans walked into the kitchen.

_ “Where are the cups,” _ he signed in Wingdings.

Papyrus’s hands were full, so he had to speak in the native language rather than sign. “ _ First shelf of the cabinet above the cutting board.” _

The woman on the other line did not notice the two on the other side of the line that were speaking a dead language. “Sexual orientation?”

“Are you allowed, by law, to ask such questions,” Sans cut in.

“From what I know, yes.”

“According to the state laws of California, it is prohibited for you to have a person’s sexual orientation on file for reason that are usually linked to discrimination.”

“Why would you ask if you knew?”

“To see if you would follow through. Now, I would prefer that you would both put my client’s preferred male pronouns in your notes and make sure that his biological sex is not brought up at any point,” Papyrus cut his brother off before he could blow up on the woman for trying to be confusing.

“Very well. We can fit the two of you in today at ten-thirty in the morning.” Papyrus looked at the clock and saw that it was 8:30.

“Perfect. Thank you.”

“Goodbye.” She hung up and Papyrus walked out of the kitchen with Metta’s phone. He was sitting on the couch and organizing the papers as he put them in the case. He walked to where he was sitting and draped his arms over the other. Mettaton only smiled and leaned on the other’s arm.

“Got that over and done with, and our appointment is in two hours.”

“Okay, I just need to get these over and done with.” Mettaton turned his head towards the door. “Sans! Come in here!”

“Everything okay,” Sans asked as he leaned on the doorway.

“My friend Toby will be here in about an hour so that you can go and try to help Lucia,” Mettaton explained, not bother to look up from his papers.

“Got it, and I think I will probably be gone for a few hours even after your guys’ meeting. I have a feeling that this is going to take a while.”

“Take as much time as you need, I just want her to get better.”

  
_ Well, then you must be crazy because you know that I’m always right. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM SO SORRY FOR THE ACTIVITY STALL. I was out of town at a pageant from Friday to Monday, so I couldn't update. I am trying to catch up as much as I can.
> 
> The name for Mettaton was also used in KarkatHorns's fic: Almost Death By Glamour (Also, if you wish for me not to use the same name, just comment and I will change it. I don't wish to upset anyone.)
> 
> Questions? Suggestions? Send me a message at my Tumblr: the-flaming-creampuff


	16. Questions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I somehow forgot to post this chapter????

Mettaton and Papyrus sat in the waiting room of the UnderGround Weekly building. While they sat, the secretary kept glaring at the two. While papyrus read over what they had planned to say, Mettaton leaned on the other’s shoulder and had Papyrus’ headphones on. He would take them off occasionally to hear if their names had been called up. 

When Mettaton took his headphones off, the secretary decided to ask a question. “When did the two of you decide to be gay?”

“We didn’t.”

“Well, then did it just happen?”

“A person is born into their sexual and romantic orientation, you don’t ‘decide’ to be the way you are,” Papyrus cut in before anything became escaladed.

“No they aren’t. It is caused by a traumatic home, I’ve done some research.”

“All of those are baseless and unfactual. A person’s DNA is the largest part of it, so it appears that your research is fraudulent.”

“Give me one example of someone who is gay that grew up in a straight family.”

“Are you just that ignorant?” Mettaton glared. “Alright, one example is me. I grew up with a straight family, everyone was straight and felt comfortable with their gender. I was not comfortable with being either straight, nor did my gender match my sex, so I was pretty much disowned.”

The woman only scoffed. “Freak,” she muttered. She wasn’t quiet enough though, because Papyrus could hear her.

“My boyfriend is not a freak. He is as much as a male as you are a female,” Papyrus said, not even looking up from the screen. “Now shut your mouth about it before I report you.” She fell silent after his threat, and a man walked in only seconds later.

“Papyrus Gaster and Mettaton Glamour?” The two stood up as Papyrus shut the computer. He put it back in the case as they followed the man down one of the hallways. Mettaton took a deep breath as they walked into the meeting room.

“Glamour, it’s been so long since I’ve seen you!” James stood up.

“Cut the shit, Alejandra,” Mettaton said as he helped Papyrus set up. “Now, from what I have seen from your latest update, you have met my boyfriend, Papyrus.”

“Hello, Mr. Alejandra,” he said with a deadpan face and tone of voice.

“You don’t seem as angry as you did when I met you, Mr.  _ Gaster _ ."

“I would prefer that you don’t call me by such, as that was the title of my late father.”

“Very well,  _ Papyrus _ . Why might the two of you be here today?”

“Remove the article about Papyrus, especially the part where you  _ leaked both his phone number and his brother’s. _ ”

“Why should I?”

_ Remember our last argument? I shot your argument full of so many holes, I thought it was swiss cheese. _


	17. Threats and Magic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Don't mess with Papyrus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YES, I KNOW THAT THIS IS REALLY SHORT AND I AM SORRY I COULDN'T THINK OF ANYTHING ELSE TO CONTINUE THIS SCENE.
> 
> Questions? Suggestions? Just want to say hi? Contact me at my Tumblr: the-flaming-creampuff
> 
> edit: I just fixed the spacing and saw how short it really was. I WILL MAKE UP FOR IT I PROMISE.

“My brother has no part in any of your  _ drama _ that you have on either me nor my partner.”

“Your brother?”

“Sans Gaster, he is the third number on the list of my family’s  _ personal _ numbers that you leaked.”

“Nonetheless, you have yet to answer my question, Mr.  _ Gaster _ . Why should I remove the numbers?”

“They are a breach of personal information.”

“Even then, what are you going to do about it?”

“You don’t want to know.” He smiled with the most spite that Mettaton had seen on his face  _ ever _ .

“You and your puny threa-WOAH!” He had cut himself off by being lifted into the air in what looked like an orange bubble.

“My family and I are from a part of the group that was rescued from the Underground. Along with that, we lived in a place where magic was a predominant source and sign of power.” He began to chuckle. “Now, we are usually supposed to only use our magic for good acts and deeds that could be deemed good. This, I know, isn’t a good deed, but it is really just up to me.”

“L-Let me down!”

“Will you remove the numbers?”

“Fine, I will remove the numbers from the website! Just let me down!” Papyrus dropped him with a loud thud.

“Do it in the next twenty minutes, or I’ll be back here.” Papyrus grabbed his things and Mettaton helped him. When they got their things together, they started to walk out of the room. “I mean it, James.”

_ What’s the point of this conversation? Are you trying to prove something? _


	18. I Can't Let You Fall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Mettaton and Papyrus talk, things get a little sad and really important.

“Mettaton, can I check something,” Papyrus asked as they were sitting at home. Sans was still working on the whole ‘cure Lucia’ thing, so they had the house to themselves.

“What do you need to check, darling?”

“I want to check you HP.”

“Why do you-”

“You know why the natural magic count of your body isn’t healing the cuts, right?”

“No, I don’t know.”

“Well, when the harm is self-inflicted, the magic won’t be direct itself to the wounds.It is because, if you intentionally caused harm to yourself, why would you want it to heal.” Papyrus took a deep breath. “Now, your HP stands for more than your ‘hit points’, it stands for hope. Your will to continue on. I have a feeling that it’s dropping and I want to make sure that you won’t fall.”

“Alright, what do you need?”

“From you, I don’t need anything. You just need to stay calm.” He grabbed Mettaton’s hand and closed his eyes. Mettaton became confused as he saw his soul begin to glow from behind his shirt. “Calm down, Mettaton,” Papyrus said in a flat voice.

 

**Mettaton  LV  1    HP  2/4**

 

“Mettaton…? How long has your HP been this low?”

“I don’t know, two months, maybe?”

“It was at what, 1600 or something, the last time I was here?” Papyrus sighed. “Lift up your shirt.”

“What?”

“I’m checking your soul.” He lifted up his shirt as Papyrus looked at the small pink heart that was on his upper chest. It was beating extremely slow and seemed to stutter with every beat. Mettaton put his shirt back over.

“What’s so wrong with my HP dropping?”

“Remember when I was in the hospital for about a month before I got stuck in the stress center?”

“What about it?”

“My HP dropped to zero. I was pretty much dead if it weren’t for Sans being home.”

“D-Dead? I thought that you said that HP stood for ho-”

“When it hit zero, my soul lost the will to live.” Papyrus smiled, but Mettaton knew that it wasn’t a happy one. “When a soul’s HP hits zero, it pretty much commits suicide. It stops beating, and the lack of magic eventually kills you. You have about ten minutes before the lack of magic shatters the soul.” He started laughing. “Mine was in pretty bad shape, there were cracks everywhere. It looked like someone dropped it and glued it back together.”

“Wait, I remember you talking about this. Didn’t you say you got there fifteen minutes after it stopped?”

“Exactly. That brings me to my next point. I was given another five minutes for my soul to be revived. Why might that be?” He paused for a second and hugged the other.

“It sounds so cliche, but my love for you kept me alive. The magic sensed my care and love for you, and that was the glue that held my soul together.” He started laughing again, and he spoke fast. “I found love, I found compassion, and I found mercy, all in you. But, the most important thing that I found in you is hope. The hope that fueled my love is what kept my soul from shattering.” He took a deep breath, trying not to cry as he spoke faster. “I need you to find hope. It doesn’t matter if it is in me, or in your cousin, or anyone else. I just _need_ you to find hope. I need you to find the will to live on, I can’t lose you. I lost my father, I almost lost Sans, and I can’t lose you.”

 

**Mettaton  LV  1    HP  2/6**

 

_Not really, I am just trying to get you to believe in yourself._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sadness and angst
> 
> also, the concept of the HP drop and refusal to heal from self inflicted wounds is from the fic 'Paring' by Rivethart.  
> I WILL WARN YOU, I SPENT AROUND FOUR DAYS READING IT AND IT HAS KILLED ME.
> 
> Questions? Want to send me something? Just want to say hi? Contact me at my Tumblr: the-flaming-creampuff


	19. The Author Found A Proper Wing Dings Translator

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When something goes wrong, but goes right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I FOUND A PROPER WINGDINGS TRANSLATOR.
> 
> Questions? Suggestions? Want to send me something? Want to say hi?  
> Contact me at my Tumblr: the-flaming-creampuff
> 
> THIS IS PRETTY MUCH A FILLER BECAUSE I NEEDED TO GIVE YOU GUYS SOMETHING AND NOT JUST LEAVE YOU HANGING.
> 
> EDIT: THE TRANSLATOR REALLY SUCKS WHEN YOU TRY TO FORMAT IT SO I HAVE AN ENTIRE CONCEPT FOR IT IF YOU WOULD LIKE ME TO EXPLAIN.

“Why do I have to go to the doctor again?”

“They’re not just any doctor, they are the best HP doctor that you can find!”

“Why is there a specific doctor?”

“Lots of things can be linked to a loss of hope, Mettaton! For example, mine was depression. I got over it, and look where I am now!” Papyrus smiled. “There isn’t much of a difference, but these doctors can find some things that normal doctors can’t.” He hugged the other. “I promise that this is worth it.”

“I hope that it is. I’m losing valuable time that I could be spending with you. You’ve been here for three days and all that we have done is be at home and go and give a reporter a total smackdown.” “

I promise that tonight we can do whatever you want!”

“We should go so you can meet my friends. They’re pretty excited to see you.” Mettaton felt Papyrus getting nervous. “Are you scared to see them?”

“It’s just… They only know what you have told them. Not that you would say anything bad, I just feel that I might not be what they expect.”

“They’ll love you, I promise! We should get going to that appointment.” Just as they were going to walk out the door, Papyrus’ phone went off. He grabbed it from his pocket and read it.

_well, it worked._

Papyrus smiled down at his phone and replied.

_That’s great! When will you be back?_

There was a pause before Sans replied.

_that’s just it. apparently, when the ghost soul is removed, it reincarnates itself into the being that it was._

_WAIT, THAT MEANS THAT DAD’S THERE WITH YOU RIGHT NOW._

_i’ll call you and let him talk to you._

Only seconds later, his phone rang.

“ _My son. . . It is good to hear from you again._ " The voice was quiet and calm, yet shaky and seeming to be crying.

“What’s wrong, Pap?”

“We need to go to where Sans is, but we’ll do it after the appointment.” He turned around for a second. " _I must go, Dad. I have an appointment for a friend of mine, so I will be there after that._ ”

“ _T_ _ake care, Papyrus_ ,” the voice was louder and seemed to be annoyed before he hung up.

_ What if I can’t? _


	20. Doctors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Doctors give results, and they aren't always good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WE'RE GETTING NEAR THE END AND IT WILL PROBABLY MAKE YOU CRY SO SORRY IN ADVANCE.
> 
> QUESTIONS? WANT TO SEND ME SOMETHING? JUST WANT TO SAY HI? WANT TO YELL AT ME ABOUT THE ENDING?  
> CONTACT ME AT MY TUMBLR: the-flaming-creampuff

“Who is this doctor again, Pap?”

“She’s a good friend of my brother. For a while, I don’t know if you remember this, but Sans and I lived around here. We moved after Dad lost his job, so we ended up keeping a few of our friends around here. Her name is Alphys.” He smiled as she spoke, but never took his eyes off of the road.

“Alphys? I’ve heard her name before.”

“You really can’t miss her. She’s a short and shy blonde girl. My brother was always laughing at the fact that no matter what, she was always taller than him. She’s really nice, but tends to stutter a lot.”

“Wait, I know her girlfriend! She comes and helps with some of the stunts at my manager’s studio!”

“Well, it’s good that you know her. She is just going to run a check-up on your soul, just to make sure everything is healing smoothly.” They pulled up to the building. Papyrus shut the car off and took the keys out. Putting them in his pocket, they both got out and started to walk to the building.

Papyrus walked up to the receptionist desk. “Three-thirty appointment for Mettaton Glamour.”

“It is nice to see you again, Papyrus. What has it been, a year? Two?”

“Stacey? I thought you still worked at the lab!”

“Long story. But, Mettaton’s all checked in. Dr. Alphys will be out shortly.” Papyrus walked over to where Mettaton was sitting. He was talking to a little boy who was sitting across from him.

“I’m losing HOPE, and I’m losing it fast. Dr. Alphys will fix me though, I know it,” the boy smiled triumphantly. 

“I know that she will, darling. She’s the best.” He smiled back and tilted his head slightly.

“Why are you here?”

“I’m losing HOPE too.”

“But you’re Mettaton Glamour! The most amazing and happiest person around.”

“Even the happiest of people have their weak spots, dear.”

“How much have you lost? I was at almost two-hundred, but I dropped to ten.”

“I was at around one-thousand six-hundred, but I’ve dropped down to six.”

“Six? That’s near shattered!”

“Well, that’s why I’m here! To get it all worked out and fixed.”

“You’ll be admitted, I know it. I read up on this after the doctor told me about the loss. Anything less that ten gets you admitted to the hospital. You have an IV with synthetic DETERMINATION that can only be given in small doses. If that doesn’t work, different measures have to be taken.” The boy then had a look of realization on his face. “wait, you dropped from  _ sixteen-hundred _ ? You’re going to be put in the ICU!”

“It’s all that I can do at this point. I’ve lost so much, but I gained even more. I can’t lose it now.”

“Mettaton?” A blue-haired woman came out holding a clipboard.

“Good luck, Mettaton!” The two walked with the woman while the boy went back to his father.

“So, Mr Glamour, have you ever had an appointment with Dr. Alphys?”

“No, but my partner has, and he gave me the run-down of what’s going to happen.”

“Very well.” They walked into a small exam room. “Alphys, your three-thirty is here.”

“T-Thank you, M-Maurice.” She turned around. “M-Mettaton? Why are y-you here?”

“My hope’s been dropping, why else would I be here,” he laughed as he sat in one of the chairs.

“P-Papyrus! It’s b-been years since I’ve seen you!” She smiled at him.

“It is nice to see you as well, Alphys.”

“Alright, let’s get started.” She sat at her computer and logged in. “So, Mettaton, what is your HP at now.”

“Umm… The last time I checked, which was yesterday, it was at...” He paused for a second. He was scared to tell her.

“His HP was at six when I checked it yesterday,” Papyrus said quietly.

“Six? We have to admit you, immediately.” She got one of the rolling beds and he sat on it. As they jogged down, Alphys spoke into her pager. “We have an ICU admit, HP count; six. Prepare immediate SDIV. Patient: Mettaton Glamour.” 

When they got down there, everything was ready. They hooked him up to the SDIV as Papyrus made a call.

“Sans, there was a change in plans. Mettaton’s in the hospital, and I don’t plan on leaving.”

_ I’m trying my best here! Why won’t you listen? _


	21. Code Black-Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When the hush fell over the group, no one knew what to do

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end is coming near! Be ready for this!
> 
> Questions? Suggestions? Just want to say hi? Want to scream about the ending when it comes?
> 
> Contact me at my Tumblr: the-flaming-creampuff

About an hour later, Papyrus stood from his chair in the waiting room as Sans walked in. Behind him was their father. Papyrus took a deep breath as Gaster stood in front of him.

_ “It’s been so long since I have seen you. You were barely to my waist when I saw you last.” _

“It’s nice to see you as well, Dad.” Papyrus hugged him. After a few seconds, he let go. “We need to get back to where Mettaton is.” The two followed Papyrus.

“ _ Who is Mettaton, _ ” Gaster asked Sans.

“ _ That would be your son’s boyfriend. He’s been losing HOPE. _ ” Gaster only nodded as they arrived at the area. As Papyrus walked up to Mettaton, he noticed that he seemed to be sleeping. A nurse came in to do a test, and shook his arm lightly. 

He wasn’t responding.

She kept trying, but he didn’t wake up. He began to twitch as the nurse grabbed her pager.

“We have a code blackout, repeat, code blackout!”

“What does that mean,” Papyrus asked as she was running out the door.

“The patient is in a coma.” He only stayed silent at this comment as the nurse ran out of the room.

“Papyrus,” Sans asked as he walked over to his brother. Papyrus took a deep breath as Sans realized what was going on. He saw a chair next to the bed and forced him to sit down. He kneeled in front of his brother as tears ran down the other’s face. “Papyrus, you’re okay.” Sans grabbed his brother’s hands.

“NO I’M NOT!” Papyrus’ magic flared up and left a burning in Sans’ hands. “QUIT TELLING ME THAT THINGS ARE OKAY! THINGS AREN’T OKAY RIGHT NOW, SANS!”

“They will be. Alphys will run some te-”

“YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND!” There was another flash of magic and it burned the other’s hands again. “I MIGHT HAVE LOST HIM FOR REAL THIS TIME! WHEN A PERSON FALLS, THEY FALL INTO A COMA. I RESEARCHED THIS AND HE MIGHT HAVE FALLEN FOR REAL!”

“It doesn’t mean that you have lost him for sure.”

“I’VE LOST SO MUCH, I CAN’T LOSE HIM TOO. HE IS THE ONLY THING KEEPING MY HOPE ALIVE. I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO, SANS! I CAN’T LOSE HIM. I’VE LOST DAD, I ALMOST LOST YOU, AND I CAN’T LOSE HIM. I NEED TO KEEP SOMETHING!”

“Dr. Alphys is going to figure this out, I promise. I need you to calm down before she gets here.” He took a deep breath and straightened his back. He tried to smile, the grin directed at Mettaton.

When he saw the other’s peaceful face, he broke down. It started with a small hitch in his breath. His back was turned to his family, so they couldn’t see the tears. It was when his shoulder began to sag and shake that Gaster walked over and wrapped his warm arms around his son.

“ _ It will be alright, my son. _ ” Gaster put his chin on the other’s head and closed his eyes. “ _ You still have Sans, and you gave gotten me back. You haven’t lost what you thought that you had, only misplaced it. _ ”

“We have a code black-out!” Alphys ran in and began to check vitals. “Soul beat: Normal. Breathing: Normal. Unresponsive.” She grabbed the bed. “We’re moving him to an over-night room.” As she pushed him, the other three in the room followed.

_ BECAUSE I CAN’T, ALRIGHT? I’VE TRIED MY DAMNEDEST TO BELIEVE YOU, BUT I CAN’T! _


	22. The End is Near

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When the end comes near, all falls apart

On the first day, Papyrus didn’t leave his side. The staff kicked him out at the end of the visiting hours.

On the second day, he tried to talk to him. There wasn’t a response. The staff gave him an extra half an hour before kicking him out.

On the third day, he began to play music. There was no response. The staff gave him an extra hour before kicking him out.

On the fourth day, he was silent. He held Mettaton’s hand the entire time. The staff let him stay until his brother came to bring him home.

On the fifth day, Sans only let him stay for an hour. The staff became worried.

On the sixth day, he tried to talk again. Mettaton moved his fingers to hold the other’s hand. The staff let him sleep in the room that night if he wanted.

On the seventh day, he awoke.

“Papyrus,” his voice was weak as the other held his hand. He had fallen asleep, and was still holding onto the other. “Papyrus, wake up.” He sat up slowly. When he was awake enough to realize who was talking, he broke down again. He cried as he hugged the other. “I won’t be awake much longer.”

He stopped and sniffled. “W-What do you mean?”

“I only have a short amount of time left here. My time has come.”

“M-Mettaton! You’re only nineteen, you have-”

“I have a tired soul, and it must be put to rest.”

“No,” Papyrus shook his head as tears ran faster down his face. He kept repeating that as he squeezed the other’s hand. “You can’t do this!”

“I know, but I must. I know that you have lost so much, but you’ve also gotten much of it returned.”

“I can’t lose you! You’re the only thing that is keeping me from falling!” Papyrus checked the other’s HP.

**Mettaton  LV  1    HP  2/3**

“I’m falling, and I’m too far to go back now.”

**Mettaton  LV  1    HP  2/2**

“I love you, Papyrus. I will miss you.”

**Mettaton  LV  1    HP  1/1**

“Don’t forget me, alright darling?”

**Mettaton  LV  1    HP  0/0**

_ I’ve tried my best, but I just can’t make you believe me. _

\----

_ When harm is self-inflicted, the magic won’t be direct itself to the wounds. It is because, if you intentionally caused harm to yourself, why would you want it to heal?  _

_ When a soul’s HP hits zero, your heart pretty much commits suicide. It stops beating, and the lack of magic eventually kills you. You have about ten minutes before the lack of magic shatters the soul. _

\---

_ When one shattered, the other went as well. It was only in a matter of minutes that the other soul hit zero and shattered. Along with this, the worlds of two families shattered. Still, the two were smiling with blissful knowledge and saddened joy when they were found. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ALL THE IS LEFT IS THE EPILOGUE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
> 
> Questions? Suggestions? Want to send me something? Want to scream about the ending?  
> Contact me at my Tumblr: the-flaming-creampuff


	23. Flights and Arguments

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When things get bad, the arguments begin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CHANGE IN PLANS I AM SORT OF DEVELOPING AS IT GOES
> 
> Questions? Suggestions? Want to send me something? Want to scream at me for various reasons?
> 
> Contact me at my Tumblr: the-flaming-creampuff

Sans and Gaster sat on the plane in silence. Neither of them really knew what to say, so the silence was something that they both embraced. 

“I didn’t think that we would lose them,” Sans whispered, finally breaking the almost two-hour long silence.

“Well, Mettaton meant the world to him. When he fell, he lost his world. He couldn’t live without the other. There was a saying that Zeus created humans with four arms and four legs, and a head with two faces. Fearing their power, he split them. Then humans would spend their lives searching for their other half. Papyrus found his other half, and lost it within a matter of…”

“A year and a half.”

“He lost it in a matter of a year and a half. That in itself could usually shatter someone. Now, I could tell that his HP had been that low for longer than we had first thought. Being where I was gave me the ability to sense changes in a person’s HP. He was at three for about two months, but his body just couldn’t take it.”

“What about Papyrus? He was at twenty befo-”

“Seven.”

“Seven? I’ve been checking it every day and that day it was at twen-”

“Some of my powers got passed on to the both of you. He received HP masking, the ability to raise one’s HP for a short period of time. It is usually used after a battle to stay alive until help can arrive.”

“So he was  _ lying  _ to me the entire time?”

“He was trying to stop you from worrying.” He somehow grabbed a book and began to glance over it. “Your HP isn’t any better, my son.”

“I have a reason for it though!”   


“So does he. That woman, Toriel I believe is her name, how would you feel if you lost her? If she had died, or went somewhere that you could never come into contact with her again.”

“Don’t bring her into this!”

“But it is the same situation, is it not?”

“He was just a kid!”

“He was an adult, and you tend to underestimate your brother’s intelligence and reasoning at times. You need to learn to trust him.”

“But-”

“The situation is no different than yours. Yes, he is younger than you, but not by that much. I remember when you first fell in love. Did it turn out well? No, it didn’t. What did you do? You just became dormant. You didn’t bother with it until Toriel came along.” He gave a forced smile to his son. “Your brother got lucky and was able to get his second half on his first try. You should have given him some credit.”

“Even then-!”

“That is no excuse to be bitter.”

_ I’m sorry. _


	24. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are finally over, but they don't feel like it.

The next day, Toriel stopped over at the house with Frisk. Sans opened the door and gave her a small smile. No matter how bad of a mood he was in, seeing her always made his day. He let the two in as Gaster walked out of the kitchen.

“Hello, Toriel. It is wonderful to see you again,” he smiled at her.

“Hello, Gaster. I thought that you were-”

“A spell to save a child is what brought me back. Let’s not dwell on it.”

Toriel changed the subject. “Where might Papyrus be? Frisk was telling me that they had met you on your flight.”

Sans’ smile fell from his face. He looked down at the floor, only to hide the broken look in his eyes.

“Papyrus has fallen,” Gaster spoke in a whisper-like voice. “His boyfriend fell, and that caused him to fall as well.”

“He… Fell..?” Frisk looked at Sans. “What… Mean?”

“Well kiddo,” the tears were thick in his voice. “Sometimes, a person is born with a tired soul, or maybe something happened that caused them to lost hope in themselves. Everyone has a HOPE counter that both they and others can see.” He looked up at Toriel. “Have you checked Frisk’s yet?”

“I haven’t brought it up.” Sans kneeled down on the ground, but eventually sat. Frisk sat in front of him. 

“May I check your HOPE?” Frisk nodded and he put his hand on theirs. They flinched at the touch at first, but kept their hand still.

**Frisk  LV  1    HP  12/18**

“They have a stable HP.” He then returned to the topic at hand. “Well, as a person loses hope, they lose their magic. Eventually, it hits zero. When it hits zero, they get ten minutes before they fall. Many say that the body preserves these ten minutes for the person to say goodbye.”

“Say… Who?”

“To the people they love. After they fall and their ten minutes is up, their SOUL shatters. It breaks into a million little pieces, and there is no way to revive it. When they fall, they fall forever.”

“Falling is… Like dying?” Sans only nodded as he felt his eyes burn.

“Falling is, what some doctors call, an ‘UnderGround Suicide’. The SOUL shatters on its own, not by someone else’s hand.” Frisk nodded, then gave Sans a big hug.

“It will be alright,” they whispered as Sans smiled.

“I hope so, Kid. I hope so.”

_ I’m sorry as well. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS CONCLUDES 'WINGDINGS SYNDROME'! I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT IT'S ALREADY OVER WHAT THE HELL.
> 
> QUESTIONS? WANT TO SEND ME SOMETHING? WANT TO SAY HI? WANT TO SCREAM AT ME ABOUT THE ENDINGS OF BOTH SIDES? DID YOU FIGURE OUT THE SMALL ITALICIZED CONVERSATION THAT HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR THE ENTIRE 24 CHAPTERS? CONTACT ME AT MY TUMBLR: the-flaming-creampuff.
> 
> Idomyowething brought up a good point, and that the song 'I'll Be There' by Hollywood Undead fits this pretty well. I actually didn't try to do this, but they pointed this out to me and it is amazing.


End file.
